Footbal: Arsenal - Chapter 64: Kieran Offers to Swap Shirts (Patreon)

Kieran couldn't stop looking at Ramos, who seemed strangely embarrassed.

This was the famously hard-nosed Real Madrid center-back. Why did he suddenly seem almost shy?

“It's all right, Ramos,” Kieran said. “I'm sure you didn't mean to catch me with that tackle. My foot's fine. If it weren't, I couldn't have run that fast and picked up an assist afterward, could I? Hahaha! Just don't tackle me like that again. It hurt like hell.”

He couldn't resist slipping in that little boast. Whether Ramos noticed was another matter.

Apparently he didn't, because the defender replied in perfect seriousness. “All right. Next time I'll make sure I don't catch your foot.”

Hearing Kieran describe the challenge as unintentional had brought all Ramos's guilt rushing back.

He resolved to keep up the appearance of innocence, and, more importantly, never deliberately tackle the boy like that again.

Just then, the referee walked past their little group.

Kieran immediately went over, gave him a hug, and thanked him.

“You've worked hard today, ref. Thanks for being so professional and attentive.”

The referee smiled and shook his head. “Not at all. You players are the ones who've worked hard.”

They shook hands again.

“Seriously,” Kieran continued, “this match was better because you were here.”

The referee paused, then smiled again. “Thank you.”

After exchanging a few more words, he shook hands with Ronaldo, Di María, and Ramos before moving on with his post-match duties.

Kieran watched him go, reflecting on how exhausting refereeing must be. Keeping up with the ball for ninety minutes while watching everything happening around you couldn't be much easier than playing.

At that moment, Arsenal assistant coach Steve Bould arrived carrying something for Kieran to wear.

There was already a thermal top under his shirt, so taking off his match jersey hadn't left him particularly cold.

But there was a special kind of cold that occurred when every older member of the club was convinced you must be freezing.

Kieran accepted the extra clothing with a delighted expression. “Thanks! How did you know I needed this? I was just starting to feel cold.”

He put it on carefully.

Bould laughed and gave him an affectionate pat on the back of the head. Then he shook hands with the Madrid players and headed off again.

As the little group continued moving around the pitch, they came across Benzema.

The striker hadn't spoken much to Kieran during the match, but they'd certainly seen plenty of one another. Apart from Madrid's defenders, Benzema had probably spent more time tracking Kieran than anyone else.

Kieran held out his hand, and Benzema shook it.

“Your defending was really good today, Benzema. You stopped me a few times. Otherwise Arsenal might have finished four-nil or even five-nil ahead!”

The four Madrid players were not amused by that little boast.

“Don't get carried away,” Benzema shot back. “You're only three goals ahead. Come to the Bernabéu for the next leg and I'll mark you until you cry.”

Ramos momentarily forgot his guilty conscience as his pride returned. “You do realize three-nil can be a dangerous lead? Just wait. We'll overturn it in the second leg.”

Ronaldo's competitive spirit flared immediately. “And you'd better watch out for us winning four-nil or five-nil next time. When the match ends, bring me another shirt to swap. I'll keep it as a trophy.”

For reasons Kieran couldn't explain, that sounded ridiculously dramatic and childish.

So this was what Ronaldo was like when he got competitive?

Wonderful. They were equally immature!

“Fine, I understand,” Kieran declared. “When I visit the Bernabéu, I'll bring home a few white shirts as souvenirs. I'll take your share with me into the Champions League semifinals!”

It would have been a stirring speech if the men listening hadn't been the opponents he was threatening to eliminate.

Predictably, they all piled onto him.

Ronaldo hooked an arm around Kieran's neck, and Benzema went straight for his ribs, tickling mercilessly.

The effect was immediate.

When one man started, the others joined in. Ramos and Di María were soon acting every bit as childish as the rest.

Pepe spotted the commotion from a distance and ran over to join his teammates without needing an explanation.

“Hahahahaha! No fair! You've found my weakest spot!” Kieran gasped between bursts of laughter.

Supporters of both clubs were watching the unexpectedly friendly spectacle, not quite sure how to react.

Arsenal's fans recovered first and took to social media.

[Arsenal is a friendly club! We're delighted to welcome Real Madrid as our guests! And if any of their players would like to become Gunners, we'd be happy to welcome them too!]

Madrid supporters saw posts like that and responded with equal enthusiasm.

[Great! If Arsenal are such good hosts, we'll make ourselves at home!]

[We'd love Kieran to visit the Bernabéu. And if he'd like to join Real Madrid, we'd welcome him with open arms!]

The Arsenal supporters went cold.

Then they exploded.

Their replies flooded the threads.

[GET LOST! YOU GET LOST! YOU TOO! ALL OF YOU, FUCK OFF!]

Really, who could blame them for being so touchy?

These days, Arsenal fans had two main occupations online. One was praising their precious youngster like ridiculously proud parents.

The other was telling every club that so much as glanced in his direction to get lost.

There were more tempting transfer rumors and provocative posts than anyone could count.

Paris Saint-Germain had already been mentioned, along with Manchester City and Chelsea. Fans of other clubs, rich or poor, were eager to join the conversation too.

Not necessarily because they could sign Kieran. Mostly because Arsenal supporters were so entertaining when someone suggested it.

Twitter's football community hadn't enjoyed a running joke this lively in ages.

Everyone else was having a fantastic time.

The Gooners, meanwhile, were like firecrackers waiting for a spark. Every new thread was another chance to send them into a frenzy.

And now Real Madrid had entered the picture as well!

Arsenal supporters could only suffer and celebrate at the same time.

Truthfully, there was a little boasting hidden inside those furious reactions.

No matter how worried they pretended to be, Kieran was still their academy boy, their own Gunner.

Back on the pitch, Kieran's horseplay with Ronaldo and company had attracted an audience.

His Arsenal teammates were fiercely protective of him.

Before the Madrid players could tease him much longer, the Gunners stepped in to rescue their youngster.

One by one, the visitors were laughingly dragged away by Arsenal players.

From a distance, the chaos looked almost like a mass brawl.

Madrid's squad might not be united enough to rush into a genuine confrontation whenever one teammate was involved.

But they certainly loved a good commotion.

Before long, more and more Madrid players had gathered around what had become the liveliest corner of the entire pitch.